Abstract
This article surveys the shifting purpose of the doctoral degree in theatre and its uneasy coexistence with the Master of Fine Arts. Employing historical reflection and administrative insight, it traces how competing expectations for research rigor, performance training, and professional relevance have fragmented doctoral curricula and eroded labor market demand. The discussion critiques reliance on disciplinary models imported from literature and science, observes the ascendancy of dramaturgy programs, and diagnoses structural stresses produced by funding limits and faculty specialization. It proposes reconfiguring doctoral education around integrated dramaturgical study that links critical theory, production practice, and audience engagement, thereby aligning graduate preparation with contemporary theatre studies and institutional needs. The analysis supplies theatre administrators, curriculum planners, and graduate committees with a conceptual framework for reassessing terminal degree objectives, admissions policy, and publication standards to sustain scholarly excellence and artistic vitality.
Recommended Citation
Barranger, Milly S.
(1989)
"Research and Performance : Doctoral Tensions,"
Association for Communication Administration Bulletin: Vol. 70, Article 7.
Available at:
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/aca/vol70/iss1/7
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